KEMU stops salaries of foreign doctors

KEMU stops salaries of foreign doctorsBy ASIF CHAUDHRY submitted 2 days 16 hours ago LAHORE - King Edward Medical University (KEMU) has stopped salaries of around two dozen foreign national postgraduate trainee doctors working in various departments of the Mayo Hospital, besides asking them to stop working till further orders.

These doctors who became victim of the KEMU policy, belong to Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Iran, Palestine, and other countries of the Middle East.

They got admissions in KEMU giving preference to the said institute to the medical institutes of the other countries. Before joining KEMU, the doctors had gone through all the process of admission that also included the admission fee of Rs 100,000 each, The Nation has learnt.

When contacted for comments on the issue, Medical Superintendent of the Mayo Hospital Dr Zaffar Ikram confirmed the decision of stopping foreign national PG trainee doctors’ salaries. He said that the hospital management had requested the KEMU committee to review its decision. He hoped that efforts were in progress and the doctors would be paid soon.

A university source told The Nation that a committee constituted by the KEMU management that comprised of some professors has recommended immediate stoppage of salaries of only foreign national PG trainee doctors. The committee in its recommendations asked the Mayo Hospital administration to immediately ensure implementation on the recommendations till further orders.

The MS, when asked about the ‘objections’ raised in the recommendations that led to the stoppage of salaries especially of the foreign doctors, said that he was unaware of the situation.

Around a year ago the said doctors had cleared the entry test exams for Doctor of Medicine (MD) and were discharging their duties for around 12 hours almost daily in different wards besides joining their classes regularly.

Meanwhile, the foreign doctors have termed the decision a ‘cruel act’ on the part of the KEMU committee saying that it is a serious violation of human rights. They said that this decision would damage image of not only the university but also of Pakistan in the world. No foreign doctor will think of taking admission in Pakistan’s any medical institute, their many other colleagues had earlier left their jobs and gone back to their countries when the KEMU stopped their salaries in the past, they maintained.

A PG trainee doctor Sandev who came from Nepal told The Nation that the KEMU did not inform the foreign nationals about the reasons to stop their salaries. Sandev said that as he and his other foreign colleagues did not have alternate source of income, it would be almost impossible for them to continue their further stay in Pakistan if their salaries were not released.

He has appealed to the Punjab government to immediately intervene to resolve the issue of their salaries otherwise all the foreign doctors would go on strike from tomorrow (Monday).http://www.nation.co...foreign-doctors

Sad to hear that they dont want to pay salary. Discrimination and abuse to minority is probably common and acceptable in Pakistan.

Any condemnation from foreign doctor?

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